A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace. CONFUCIUS

Friday 22 June 2012

A Grey Day In Paris

I do not know what I thought Paris would be like, but it was not that way. It rained nearly every day. ERNEST HEMINGWAY

11 comments:

Laura said...

Your photos are always so much more than just a picture.

You see the interesting angles and perspectives, and somehow reflect a mood and the spirit of a place.

Ruth said...

A melancholy slideshow, Robert. (Is that tune Debussy?) The iris at the Tuileries seem to have given up trying to seduce anyone into those chairs, those empty chairs. The other lavender flowers may be perky and bright, more so for the leaden sky, but we know the weary traveler would rather rest by buttercup, dandelion, ragged-robin, cuckoo flower, wild daffodil, white narcissus, . . .

Still, it's a lovely collection of photos, skillfully grouped for our reflection.

George said...

Nicely done, Robert. Evocative images woven together by such beautiful music (and, like Ruth, I would like to know whether this is Debussy). It's all a bit haunting, bringing back memories of past visits to Paris and leading me to dream of the next visit. Can I now capture what I once found there, or has life stripped us of the illusions that are often required to keep old romantics like me afloat? Je ne sais pas, mais j'espere que pour decourvrir la reponse avant que je meure.

The Solitary Walker said...

Thanks for your comments, Laura, Ruth and George.

Yes, the music is Debussy — Prelude No. 8, 'The Girl with the Flaxen Hair'. I thought its wistfulness suited the slideshow quite well.

The melancholic photo-route goes from the Louvre Palace and the Pyramids via the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel into the Tuileries Gardens, as I know you all recognised. The last two shots are of the Lafayette Maison in the Bd. Haussmann. I was hassled by Asian women trying to scam me round here — which was all I needed!

The Solitary Walker said...

... and George — you old romantic!

Dominic Rivron said...

Enjoyed the Debussy Prelude. Very fitting. The photo of Notre Dame further down... Big French churches always make me think of this...

http://youtu.be/NtSfIqkt03w

Goat said...

I can see how an afternoon in bed might be more tempting!

The Solitary Walker said...

Thanks for the link, Dominic. What an impressive organ! I've been inside that basilica in Toulouse and it's amazing.

The Solitary Walker said...

Goat, yes, I just had to have that long sleep. My body ordered me to. I had that kind of queazy stomach and mild exhaustion you can get after a long, strenuous, wonderful trek. It's the shock of the reacclimatisation.

Rachel Fox said...

It looks very empty! Were you up very early in the morning or something?

x

The Solitary Walker said...

Yes, it was around 8.30 — 9.00, Rachel.